Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-06-11
AMONG DRY BONES.
Where Many Human skeleton. Are
Prepared for sale.

correspondent Of The KedicaG Pres, o,
London, communicates to that journal the
following account Of a skeleton n.Lu.asiorv
which he recenely had an opportuuit. uf visi;
ing. The establishment Is located In the
plain Of st. Dennis, France and consists OF
large wooden buildings, comprising one main
structure and several aunexes.
The large hall contains two rows of immense
kettles, the emanstions from which are, ~
might be supposed, far fr ON agreeable, even
to an olfactory apparatus used 10 the atmos-
phere OF dissectDg room These kettle 5
serve FOR Kidding the bones Of their adhering
tendons through boiling. The disarticulation
OF tue skulls which is performed separately,
constitutes the most delicate part Of the opera
ton. ln the case Of children or young adults
It is effected through an ingenious process
consisting in filling the cerebral cavity With
dry peas and then immersiug the skull in
water Through tn. effect " slch immersion
the peas swell and bring abou. , dislocatiou
Of the most delicate sutures.
After the bones have been submitted 10 :,
prolonged boiling they are carried to tables.
where young women carefully scrape them iu
order 10 free them perfectly from the sof:
tissues that adhere to them. Certain special
lists obtain very high wages for this work, es-
peciaIly those who prepare very delicate bo1es
such AS those of frogs, lizards, etc.
After being scraped the bones are bleached.
either through the action Of chloride Of linn
for cheap skeletons or tha I Of the sun for Lign
priced ones. Finally they 20 to special work.
room, where they are assembled, mounted up
on brass, and articulated.
These final operations require a profound
knowledge OF osteology along with an artistic
eye. In fact, it is necessary To select from
collection Of all sorts of bones those that can
he well enough assembled to look as II they
came from one and the same individual The
Others are sold singly for the use of students
Of limited means who are content with a Dor
tion OF an unmountel skeleton. 1t it Is Curl
Gus to find that sex has great influence on
the market value Of the bones, a beautiful
female skeleton beiug usually worth 70 or y
per cent. more than a male one of correspond
ing quality.
specialk ettles are devoted 10 children, from
those Of the rudimentary aye up TO those of
2 to ) years These skeletons are arrang-
ed IN show cases, in ascending series, from the
miniature three and four inches IN height I'D
to the baby of twenty or thirty inches. Thes-
little skeletons have proportionately greater
value than those Of their adult brothers.
1t may naturally be asked whenec all the
cadavers come. Some or them it appears, arc
furnished by the hospitals and dissectins
rooms, and others bJ the prisons As gen
eral thing the supply has been less than the
demand, but in recent times the abundance
and cheapress Of skeletons Of Austrian origin
have considerably depressed the market New
ertheless, despite the industrial aud couI-
mercial crisis that prevails throughout the
world, the industry under consideration seems
To be in a fourishin0 conditjon